Don’t jump down my throat: gender gap in HPV vaccinations risk long term cancer threats
HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States, the principal cause for cervical cancer, and the principal cause for the recent increase in head and neck squamous cell cancers. Current interventions and research goals fail to sufficiently address the need to prevent HPV, and continued stigmatization of HPV as a female disease further discourages young patients from seeking the vaccine. This paper will review the epidemiology of HPV, including the rise in male cases and cancers, the immunogenicity of the vaccine, results of efficacy and effectiveness trials, and the social and operational challenges to preventing HPV infection within the United States. Statistics were sourced from the CDC. Studies were found through PubMed searches related to HPV. Priority was given to articles published in the last ten years, and policy statements from major associations were considered. To improve vaccination rates, diversified physician engagement in vaccinating adolescents, better knowledge sharing about vaccine hesitancy, and specifically targeting males to bridge the gender gap are all necessary. Further, childhood HPV vaccinations and therapeutic vaccinations remain under-researched but potentially effective methods to diminish the incidence of HPV-associated cancers.
